About Bruce Frantzis

The Making of a Master

Bruce Frantzis is a lineage holder in both the Wu and Yang styles of tai chi, as well as bagua, hsing-i and Taoist meditation. In 1981, he was the first Westerner certified in Beijing by the People’s Republic of China to teach the complete system of tai chi chuan.

Fluent in Chinese and Japanese, he has drawn on 16 years of intensive study in Asia to develop a systematic approach to teaching Taoist energy arts.

In 1981, Frantzis was accepted as one of only two disciples of the late Taoist Sage Liu Hung Chieh. Prior to becoming a Taoist Lineage Master, Liu had been declared enlightened by the Tien Tai School of Chinese Buddhism. For several years, Frantzis studied bagua, tai chi, hsing-i, qigong and Taoist meditation daily with Liu in Beijing.

In 1986, Liu formally passed his lineage to Frantzis, empowering him to teach bagua, tai chi and hsing-i, as well as Lao Tse’s Water method of Taoist meditation—a practice which had been virtually unavailable to Westerners. Frantzis created the Energy Arts System Frantzis based on teachings from the Water method of Taoist meditation, described by Lao Tse in the Tao Te Ching over 2,500 years ago. This sophisticated tradition has been transmitted for millennia from teacher to disciple in an unbroken lineage to the Taoist sage Liu Hung Chieh and from him to Frantzis.

Twenty years of prior training provided a foundation to prepare Frantzis for Liu’s teachings. At the age of twelve, Frantzis began his comprehensive study of martial arts, healing therapies and meditation. He earned black belts in judo, karate, jujitsu and aikido by the age of eighteen. To pursue advanced training, he moved to Japan, where he trained for two years with Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido. He then went to China and studied Taoist energy arts for 11 years. Frantzis also spent two years in India studying advanced yoga and Tantric practices.

After the death of Liu Hung Chieh in 1986, Frantzis journeyed back to the United States. He offers workshops and instructor trainings in North American and Europe. Frantzis has personally certified more than 400 instructors worldwide. He has lectured at Oxford University in England and served as an advisor to Harvard University’s Qi Research Group.

Frantzis has developed a practical, comprehensive system of programs that can enable people of all ages and fitness levels to increase their core energy and attain vibrant health. For a full detailed biography please visit his profile at Energy Arts: Bruce Frantzis Biography.